Chattanooga tops Bellarmine 26-9 in Louisville
No. 24 Cooper Flynn opened with a 12-2 major and Chattanooga closed with multiple bonus and late decisions to beat Bellarmine on Feb. 22 in Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Chattanooga defeated Bellarmine 26-9 on Feb. 22, building an early cushion and closing with bonus and late decisions to secure the dual.
No. 24 Cooper Flynn set the tone at 125 pounds, defeating Joe Calvin by major decision, 12-2. Flynn opened a 7-0 first-period lead with a three-point takedown and a four-point nearfall, then added a third-period takedown and a riding-time point to complete the margin.
At 133 pounds Ethan Uhorchuk produced an overtime finish, scoring a three-point takedown in the first extra period to win 5-2 over Trayce Eckman and keep Chattanooga in control through the middle weights.
Bellarmine got a fall from Jeb Prechtel at 157, pinning Cavarius Liddie after a first-period three-point takedown to register the Knights’ most decisive result of the dual.
Chattanooga responded with a string of decisions that swung the dual back in its favor. Mason Reiniche edged Noah Hall, 9-6, at 165 after an opening-period takedown and a third-period escape and takedown; Reiniche was also credited with a riding-time point that finalized the margin.
Hunter Mason’s 6-3 decision over AJ Rallo at 141 was notable for the ranking matchup: Rallo entered the bout ranked No. 32 at 141. Mason’s second three-point takedown, midway through the third, produced the decisive margin.
At 174 Grant O’Dell earned a 5-3 decision for Bellarmine, but Chattanooga collected major and bonus-style results later in the lineup. Kade Rule delivered a 10-1 major decision at 197 after takedowns in the first two periods and a reversal-plus-nearfall sequence in the third.
Landon Jones and Yuta Otero added key decisions for Chattanooga at 184 and 149, respectively. Otero’s match required overtime, where he recorded a 3-point takedown in the extra period to finish 8-5.
Ethan Vergara closed the dual at heavyweight with an 11-5 decision. Vergara scored takedowns in each period and was awarded a riding-time point that completed the final tally, preserving Chattanooga’s advantage on the mat and in the team score.
Chattanooga’s mix of a major decision at 125, an overtime takedown at 133, the major at 197 and the late heavyweight decision provided the scoring margin that produced the 26-9 dual victory in Louisville.